


Welcome Home

by oops_all_the_fandoms



Category: Bandstand - Oberacker/Oberacker & Taylor, MASH (TV)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Emotional Hurt, Episode s11e6 Bombshell, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-War, Psychological Trauma, songfic?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:34:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24722383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oops_all_the_fandoms/pseuds/oops_all_the_fandoms
Summary: A brief glimpse into the lives of Fr. Mulcahy, Radar, Trapper John, Hawkeye, BJ, and Klinger after they return from Korea. Inspired by the lyrics to "Welcome Home" from the musical Bandstand. Not a happy song, not a happy story. I highly recommend listening to the song, it's haunting.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> AN: The musical Bandstand is about WWII veterans trying to succeed in a musical competition. This fic draws inspiration from the finale song “Welcome Home (finale)” and applies it to a variety of the MASH characters. Post-GFA/after war, so, some spoilers. I’ve never seen AfterMASH but I’ve read about it and use some of that here. Please see the lyrics at the bottom. I’d highly recommend listening to the song! I welcome any feedback. If I've missed tags that should be added, please let me know.

Fr. Mulcahy woke up through the now familiar feeling of fading anesthesia. The slight accompanying nausea hadn’t set in yet and his body still felt heavy. The cotton stuffed feeling in his ears had not faded, but it was too soon to know if it was the medication or the damage from the explosion. This procedure had been his last-ditch effort to regain his hearing, thanks to Potter’s connections at the VA hospital. Of course, his hearing wasn’t the only cause of his increased drinking upon his return. He could not help but think of all the orphans left behind, and the fact that the war had just made more and more… But alcohol helped him forget, helped him be numb.   
He pushed the thoughts aside focusing instead on the feeling of the bed, the sheets. A few moments passed and he felt himself becoming more aware of the room around him and… his eyes flew open. Faint footsteps in the hallway! He could make out sounds of ambient hospital noises, they were much calmer than what he had grown accustomed to overseas, and he was ecstatic! He could hear again! He pushed his earlier thoughts and guilt deeper and deeper, focusing on the joy, though he couldn’t stop the painful thought that he was physically whole again while so many had been lost so senselessly. 

Klinger had always been “street smart” as some would say. But he had never been so jumpy, so… on edge all the time. He had struggled to reintegrate to his friend group back in Toledo after returning to the states with Soon Li. He felt justified in his distrust, there was a continual, background feeling whenever they were in public together. It made him feel like he was surrounded by enemies who hated him. The cold reception they got wherever they went merely served to amplify these feelings. He and Soon Li often discussed the parallels between the Americans in Toledo and the fighting forces in Korea. It was as if the war had followed them, just with less death. But Klinger had been around long enough to know that sometimes, these cold hostilities could turn bloody in an instant. He was always on guard. He had to be. He had to protect himself and his family.

Hawkeye returned home to Crabapple Cove, back to live in his father’s house. But, it wasn’t quite Hawkeye. He looked 10 years older, people would comment that he looked more like his dad with each passing day. The man still sounded like Hawkeye, especially when he laughed, truly laughed (which was rare now) he still threw his head back and cackled. Even though he laughed less, he kept his sense of humor and continued to try to make others laugh. But now, his humor had a dark edge to it, eliciting nervous laughter as much as genuine. No one mentions it though because a Hawkeye who isn’t joking seems even stranger than the man who came back. He seemed lost. He had stopped practicing medicine. He seemed to retreat further into himself as time went on. His father was concerned by the amount he drank, and the frequency. It seemed each night he drank until he passed out to sleep. His father would never admit it, even to himself, but he couldn’t decide which was worse: the drinking to oblivion or the screaming night terrors. Daniel was also lost and mourning. His son never really can back from Korea.

Trapper John had been home for years. He thought things would be back to normal, he thought things would be the same as before. He hadn’t even been gone that long! It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. He tried to keep occupied, throwing himself back into work at the hospital, trying to make up for lost time with his family. His efforts were twofold. When he had down time, he thought of his friends back in Korea and the snipers and the wounded and he could feel his mind spiraling, but he had promised Louise he would be there for their kids. His beautiful daughters. He knew he looked different in his uniform, but he couldn’t forget the pain when his little ones didn’t recognize him at first. He had held back the tears then, and every time since. He couldn’t let it out, he feared he might never resurface. 

Radar was home on the farm with his Ma, but it felt weird. It was home, but without Uncle Ed things were quiet. He also didn’t feel much like talking so things were even quieter. What would he talk about? Talking about his friends back in Korea seemed wrong when all they wanted was to be where he was. Well, not exactly where he was, but in their own homes. Even his animal friends, all of their stories were tied up in his people friends’ stories. And he was concerned that the cook would’ve gotten to them soon after he left. Better not to talk about that, other people in Iowa didn’t need to have those concerns. Every so often, he still got the sense that he could hear choppers in the distance, and it was all he could do to stop himself from going into town to try to phone over to the 4077 to make sure everyone was ok. He had to believe they were, and that they’d come home eventually. In the meantime, he needed to find something to focus his energy on. There had been so much wrong that he had witnessed in such a short period. Maybe he could find something helping other people who were hurt. Not like a doctor or nothing, that still made him queasy. He’d have to check the papers to see who was hiring.

BJ (Peg’s perspective)  
Her sweet, caring, warm-eyed husband was home. After two years, he finally got to meet little Erin and start to make up for lost time. He doesn’t talk about the war. Well, not when he’s awake. He sleep-talks and it can get bad. She doesn’t know how to help, doesn’t even know the questions to ask. She knows somethings that happened from letters from Hawkeye, sent to her from Korea. They both know BJ doesn’t like to talk about issues. He refuses to be outside with a helicopter overhead. The grief and loss that he must have faced. Every now and then he alludes to being made to be a soldier… and when he does, something in him is different… it’s like there’s an additional level of pain and… guilt? Those nights he doesn’t come to bed, pacing the house and yard, like he’s looking for something. She knows he won’t find it, whatever it is, she only hopes that one day he’ll able to talk with her about it all. Perhaps her ignorance is bliss… but she just wants his damn war to end.

**Author's Note:**

> Lyrics (MASH Character)  
> (Fr. Mulcahy) Johnny made it home  
> Most of him at least  
> Had three operations  
> But the pain has not decreased  
> (Klinger) Nick learned to survive, means you never trust  
> Once you see the worst in man then how do you adjust?  
> (Hawkeye) Davy cracks a joke, claims to be alright  
> Drinks a fifth of vodka in his kitchen every night  
> And I stand here trying  
> Like Mother Mary with my private burden of grief to carry  
> Welcome home my boys  
> Welcome home my sons  
> Welcome home my husband  
> Welcome home my love  
> Welcome home, welcome home  
> Welcome home  
> (Trapper) Wayne is never free, schedules out his day  
> Filling every minute just to keep the ghosts away  
> He could never get back the life he had  
> Faced with raising kids who did not recognize their dad  
> (Radar) Jimmy made it back to town four months ago  
> Lived to tell of things no one could bear to know  
> Keeps his guard up now a lot goes undiscussed  
> Focuses on fighting what he finds unjust  
> Welcome home my boys  
> Welcome home my sons  
> Welcome home my husband  
> Welcome home my love  
> Welcome home, welcome home  
> Welcome home  
> (BJ) Donny does his best, trying to pretend  
> What he doesn't talk about won't matter in the end  
> Donny made it home but thinks it wasn't fair  
> How he made it out but left his buddy there  
> Donny doesn't sleep because the nightmares come  
> Donny wants an answer  
> Donny looks for absolution  
> (Peg) And I would give up anything if I could give him some  
> If I stand here helpless, my arms extended  
> Knowing full well, darling, your war's not ended  
> Welcome home  
> Welcome home my husband  
> Welcome my love  
> Welcome home, welcome home  
> Welcome home my boys  
> Welcome home my sons  
> Welcome home my husband  
> Welcome home my love  
> Welcome home  
> Welcome home  
> Welcome home


End file.
